Mar 17, 2012 |
I’m learning more about our eating and spending habits with my new Meal Memo in a Jar dinner plan.
First, you can’t guarantee that even with certain foods on the menu, that’s what we’ll be hungry for; but our new motto is “Eat what’s on your plate!”.
Second, I need to add “fast” memos for the days when I’m too tired to cook. (What? You really believed I was SuperWoman?!) Foods like Little Ceasar’s $5 Hot-n-Ready, or a frozen skillet meal from Stouffer’s. Those super quick and easy and filling foods. But I should only allow one per week. I’ve also discovered that I’m more apt to go the fast-food route when I’m tired, busy, or just lazy. That’s not a good reason to eat junk food! And if they’re planned out, there are better options than just finding myself at the drive-thru and ordering whatever looks good in the moment.
Third, I have more food than I realize, and we usually eat less than I anticipate. That’s the great thing: I’ll be able to transfer all the unused Meal Memos to April’s Jar. There’s so much still there! I originally planned one Meal Memo to last two days, but they average three. That gives me two more days a week that I don’t have to cook. That’s an average of eight days a month! That’s a lot of food/savings for next month. How great is that?
Fourth, the few days I’ve eaten fast foods or “made do”, I don’t feel as good as when I follow the Memo Plan. I need to come up with ideas for really quick meals, maybe freeze-ahead’s so all I have to do is microwave or reheat on the stove top.
Well, here’s the next recap of March’s Meal Memos:
10th: Dot was at a Youth Group function and I was at the Second Family’s house for the evening. We grabbed healthy snacks before leaving home, and had an egg-salad sandwich later when we stopped by my mom’s. My mom makes the best egg-salad. No joke. It’s the one recipe I don’t even try to make. I tried once. I failed. Now I just eat hers.
11th: Mom invited us to her house Mexican Steak: it’s a slow-cooked combination of tender steak bites, kidney beans and tomatoes served over rice. Fantastically delicious!
12th: Today was My Last Disney Day. Megan and I ate ate Chicken Fusilli and Dot had leftovers at my mom’s house.
13th: A really busy day today. Forgot to pull a Meal Memo from the jar. So we made do with sandwiches and snacks.
14th: I woke up not feeling well. Pretty sure it was a combination of allergies and weather. And a little altitude nausea… I rarely leave the desert so when I either go up to the mountains or down to Disneyland, it affects me. I’m just weird that way. So on the way home from errands we picked up a pizza from Little Caesar’s. Double feature: Dot gets to take the leftovers for her school lunch!
15th: The Meal Memo called for pork loin and baby potatoes. Easy, nutritious! I cheated and bought jar-gravy so I wouldn’t have to make it today. I chopped up a nice salad and we’ll also finish the last of the Jell-O. Since on Thursdays Dot goes to her grandparents, she wasn’t home for dinner tonight but I made it anyway. That will take care of the weekend meals too.
16th: Leftovers! Deliciously healthy leftovers.
Tonight we’ll be trying to find healthy foods via the local bowling center. It’s Dot’s best friend’s birthday and we’re celebrating!
I’m looking forward to the next few entries… but you’ll just have to wait til the next recap!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Mar 16, 2012 |
Forgive me, I’m new to the Giveaway scene and I forgot a few things:
1. If you follow/tweet/pin, please leave a comment on the Mojo Book Review and GIVEAWAY post telling me you did so. Leave a separate comment for each activity.
2. Remember that those additional entries don’t count unless you leave a comment on the Giveaway post telling me what your favorite childhood book was and why.
You must follow these two guidelines for your entries to count.
Thanks!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Mar 16, 2012 |
This is another children’s book from long ago. The copy I have was printed in 1935 and belonged to my mother.
I love this book. It centers on a little girl who discovers history and adventure as she travels the West Coast. The inside covers show a hand-drawn map that indicates the important locations from the book. Actual photographs of places and actors posing as the book’s characters give credence to Carmen’s journey.
This is one in a series of books by Brandeis called “Children of All Lands” wherein Brandeis delivers wonderful writing detailing the heritage of a particular nation that includes personalities, environment, difficulties commonly faced… these books were known in their time to be some of the best reading material available for children.
Madeline’s preface begins
“This is the story of two little girls,
Each of them living in different worlds,
One in the old world, and one in the new,
One like your great-grand’ma,
One just like you.
“This, also, is the story of ‘three big states.’ “
Those states, as we journey with Carmen and her father, are California, Oregon, and Washington. We learn some Spanish words like “Tia” (“Aunt”). We discover how some cultures have become Americanized (Carmen’s last name is Stevens, but her eldest living relative’s is Estevan). The story begins with Carmen waking on her birthday to receive a present from her father. Tia Carmencita has sent a package to Carmen: a written account of Carmencita’s journey years ago along the same roads Carmen is about to travel. It’s bound in hide, and they affectionately call it their Cow-Book. And there’s something more: a letter promising that the book also contains a great mystery.
It’s through Carmencita’s story and Carmen’s travels that we discover great places like Olvera Street in Los Angeles, Crater Lake in Oregon, and Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington. There are evil-doers and friends, lessons learned and marvels observed.
And in the end… Oh, please. You know I can’t give that away!
But what I am giving away is your very own copy. That’s right, you can receive your very own book and take the adventures with Carmen and her Tia for yourself! I ordered a great quality copy through Amazon and I’m looking at it right now. It’s in near-perfect condition. The pages are slightly yellowed with age, and the front and back covers indicate the tiniest bit of wear, but for a book that’s 77 years old, it’s in extremely good quality. The photos included in this blogpost are from the very book one lucky winner will receive! This particular copy will be a great addition to anyone’s home library.
Why am I doing this? Because this book needs to be shared. The history, the writing style, the characters. It’s important to encourage children (anyone!) to keep reading, to learn not only literacy with letters and numbers, but to also learn history. This book incorporates all of that in such a way as to make it more than enjoyable.
So, do you want to win? Awesome! Here’s how to enter:
1. MANDATORY ENTRY: Leave a comment on this blog post telling me what your favorite childhood book was and why. You’ll have to sign up with Disqus to leave a comment, but it’s a great way to track all your blog comments so it’s worth it! (If you’re reading this post through email, you have to click through to the actual blog to leave a comment. Email replies will not be counted.)
2. ADDITIONAL ENTRIES: You can earn up to four additional entries (for five entries total) by doing each of the following then leaving a comment here telling me you’ve done so. If you already do any of these things, that counts as an entry only if you post it in the comments. Remember that you must complete the mandatory entry or additional entries won’t count. (Additional entries will be verified):
a. Follow me on Facebook and share this giveaway.
b. Follow me on twitter and tweet this giveaway.
c. Follow me on Pinterest and pin this giveaway.
d. Share this giveaway on your own blog and leave the link in the comments below.
Here’s the fine print:
MOJO BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY RULES FOR “CARMEN OF THE GOLDEN COAST” BY MADELINE BRANDEIS, MARCH 16, 2012:
1. This giveaway is solely through Molly Jo and the blog Frankly, My Dear…. There are no corporate sponsors and is in no way endorsed by Amazon or any other person, business or entity.
2. Only legal citizens of the United States aged 18 years and older are eligible to win. [Sorry to my international readers, but I’m only set up right now for American rules.]
3. This giveaway begins at 5:30 a.m. PST on Friday, March 16, 2012 and ends at 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, March 23, 2012.
4. Winner will be selected from all eligible comments on Saturday, March 24, 2012 through Random.org.
5. One prize consisting of a used edition of “Carmen of the Golden Coast” will be given. No substitutions or transfers allowed.
6. Molly Jo and Frankly, My Dear… are not responsible for any damages that may occur during shipping.
7. You may comment as much as you like, but any comment/commenter that does not meet the requirements will be disqualified from this Giveaway.
8. By leaving your comment on this post, you agree to be bound by the rules of this giveaway in their entirety.
So there you are. Have fun, and good luck!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Mar 15, 2012 |
Before I was pregnant with Dot (yes, that’s quite a while ago!), I signed on with the Institute of Children’s Literature. But then I did get pregnant. And then I became a single mom. And I got a day job. And I took college courses. So the whole correspondence-study thing fell to the side.
Flash forward 17 years, give or take a month, and I contacted them again. Yes, I can renew my studies. Yes, they’ll send me new course materials.
So, yes, as Dot prepares for her high school graduation, I’m going back to school.
I’m going to learn how to write specifically for children. I’m going to study sentence structure, and intrigue, and action, and characters…
And I’m really excited about it.
I already have my first two assignments done. They were off-the-cuff rapid writings just to get my foot in the door, but they were still greeted with enthusiasm and fantastic feedback.
That’s what attracted me to ICL: the personal attention that I receive. If I have a problem, or a question, or need a due-date extension, one phone call is all it takes. They take care of everything so efficiently, so effortlessly.
And they inspire me. They ask the right questions. I didn’t realize my resume was already being formed until I started listing all the writings I’ve been successful at. I’ve been published in Highlights for Children, Cricket, Wee Wisdom. I won awards in college. A scholarship was created for me in college. I run a blog. I now run a writing/editing/publishing company. I’m writing.
So I guess I’m not as “new” to the writing thing as I think I am. It’s always been around me. It’s always been in me.
Thanks to ICL, I’m just recognizing it.
And that’s pretty exciting!
Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s something about a cow and a cup of coffee that I must go ponder…
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Mar 14, 2012 |
The whole day-job-thing-a-ma-jiggy still hasn’t arrived. Gonna have to place a new order at the Employment Store. They’ve messed up on my last two orders, so now I’m more specific with what I want in a job: Great pay, great hours, benefits, drama-free zone, room for advancement. Is that too much to ask? I think not!
But I’ve been learning a lot about finances and frugality during this season. Primarily, my reliance on God hasn’t wavered. In fact, I can honestly say it’s grown stronger. I mean, when I have nothing, who else am I going to depend on but my Head of Household to get things taken care of?
Sure enough, True to form, God has been taking care of us quite nicely. We’re not drowning in riches, we’re not clothed in silky garments. But our needs, and oftentimes our desires, are met. A new DVD now and then. A friend willing to drive to Disneyland. A frozen pizza in the freezer.
But sometimes, I admit, I want more. I just do. I want more. I want security. I want options. I want income. Now. I want more than I have. I need more. I’m worried about next week, next month, the rest of this year. Next year. Retirement. I’m just worried.
And so I pray. A lot. I pray in Thanksgiving that I am healthy and alive. I pray petitions for all of the above and then some. I pray in adoration of God’s love and providence. And I pray again for what I think I need.
It was during this prayer time last week that God reminded me of something huge. I began by praying The Lord’s Prayer. The “Our Father”. I was going through the first part of the Prayer, careful to give thought to each sentence and not just recite it. “Our Father, Who Art in Heaven…” He’s my Father. My Poppa. My Daddy. He loves me with a Father’s love. That’s really comforting. And important. Because Father knows best, right?! So when He talks, I should listen.
I should. …
Back to the Prayer. Each line, each sentence a beginning to my own personal pleadings. And then…
“Give us this day our daily bread…”[Matthew 6:11, NIV]
It’s not “Give us this day our retirement bread” or “Give us this day our yearly bread” or even “Give us tomorrow’s bread.” It’s “Give us this day our daily bread”. Even better, just 14 easy verses later, He urges us to not worry about tomorrow. We already have what we need: Shelter. Clothing. Fellowship. We already have what we need.
Since this revelation, I’ve taken a better look around me, and I see: We already have so much. Furry felines that double as footwarmers. Birds that add music to the air. A loving household. A car that works. The ability to communicate, to touch each other, to share. We have so much already.
I have a roof over my head, gas in the car, food in the freezer and pantry, and the utilities are paid for the month. My daughter and I are alive and healthy. We have decent clothes. Good friends. But I’m not enjoying this security. I’m letting the worries of tomorrow interfere with the joys of today.
I feel really small. Really ungrateful. Really… selfish.
And I see.
He’s already given us this day our daily bread.
And to spare.
When you think about it, we’re all pretty rich, aren’t we?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
